Livni vows to end Hamas rule if elected PM

Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni said Sunday that she would guide
the government to drop the Hamas' regime in the Gaza Strip if
designated prime minister in the February ballot, local media said.
"The persons of Israel are threatened, missiles are tumbling," she was
quoted by the website of Jerusalem Post as adage to Kadima members. "I
won't say what moves should be made. There is no calm in
Hamas-controlled Gaza. Israel, and a regime under my leadership, would
topple Hamas in Gaza with military, economic and tactful means."
Livni vows to end Hamas rule if elected PM.
Israel's Prime Minister Ehud Olmert (R) and Foreign Minister Tzipi
Livni attend the weekly cabinet rendezvous in Jerusalem Dec. 21, 2008.
Livni said Sunday that she would lead the government to topple the
Hamas' regime in the Gaza Strip if elected prime official in the
February election, local media stated.
She vowed that "Israel must respond to restore its disincentive and
stop the fire as long as it is fired upon," adding "that's what the
government must do, and will do, under my headship."
On Sunday morning, Palestinian militants fired 14 Qassam rockets and
three mortar rounds into Israel, lightly injuring one person and
damaging a private residence.
The Palestinian Arab militant group Islamic Jihad took responsibility
for the attack.
In response to the rocket fire, an Israel Air Force aircraft launched
a missile at a rocket launcher that had been prepared and was ready to
fire in northern Gaza, the Israel Defense Forces said.
The renewed violence comes in the wake of Hamas' official announcement
that it would not develop its six-month truce with Israel which
expired on Friday.
During the cabinet meeting on Sunday morning, Israeli outgoing Prime
Minister Ehud Olmert showed his restraint in dealing with rockets
attacks, saying that "a responsible government neither runs to battle
nor runs from it."
Meanwhile, it was reported that Olmert and Defense Minister Ehud Barak
met secretly last Thursday after receiving various security
assessments, and decided to stage scaled responses to the continued
rocket attacks.
"The scenarios are clear; the plans are clear; the determination is
clear, and so are the ramifications of each of the steps," he said.
However, Likud Chairman Benjamin Netanyahu blamed the Kadima-led
government should be responsible for the situation in south.
"For three years, Kadima's ministers have been burying their heads in
the sand. It's time to change that," he was quoted by the website of
local daily Yedioth Ahronoth as saying during a tour in Sderot, a town
in south Israel which is often under rocket attacks from the Gaza
Strip.
The opposition leader claimed that Israel "has no choice but to topple
Hamas' rule in the long run."
"Right now we have to go from passive response to active assault .We
have a variety of options before we take the strip." he added.
The Likud, he finished, will back any authorities decision to strike Gaza.